Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez introduce bill to ban federal use of Flock cameras

On October 2, 2026, progressive lawmakers introduced the Ban Flock Act to prohibit federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers and block grants to local governments using the technology. The bill, led by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, responds to growing bipartisan concerns over Flock Safety’s network of 120,000 cameras. Critics warn against AI-powered tracking, while Flock has proposed policy changes to address privacy issues.

The Ban Flock Act

• ▪Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Jeff Merkley, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Ban Flock Act on October 2, 2026, to prohibit federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers
• ▪The Ban Flock Act would pause federal grant funding to state and local governments that maintain contracts for automatic license plate readers
• ▪The Ban Flock Act would allow United States citizens to sue the federal government for using automatic license plate readers

The Flock-Off Act

• ▪The Flock-Off Act, introduced by Representative Thomas Massie, would impact other companies besides Flock Safety despite referencing Flock Safety in its title
• ▪Representative Thomas Massie introduced the Flock-Off Act last month to block funding for automatic license plate readers and biometric surveillance cameras in municipalities

Flock Safety's technology and privacy

• ▪Flock Safety operates a network of more than 120,000 automatic license plate reader cameras across the United States
• ▪Privacy concerns regarding Flock Safety's technology have intensified due to its use of artificial intelligence and recent reports of law enforcement misusing automatic license plate readers
• ▪Flock Safety's automatic license plate readers record license plate numbers and vehicle details like make, model, color, bumper stickers, and decals to create a vehicle signature

Congressional investigation into surveillance manufacturers

• ▪The chief executive officers of Flock Safety, Axon Enterprise, Motorola, and Verkada did not attend the first congressional hearing on AI-powered surveillance camera manufacturers despite being asked to testify by Senator Josh Hawley
• ▪Flock Safety's chief legal officer, Dan Haley, sent a letter to Senator Josh Hawley outlining policy changes to address privacy concerns and stating that Americans' privacy should not depend on one vendor's judgment
• ▪Senator Josh Hawley led a congressional hearing last month investigating artificial intelligence-powered surveillance camera manufacturers, including Flock Safety

Debatable claims

• ▪Automatic license plate readers do more harm than good
• ▪Congress should ban federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers
• ▪Private nationwide vehicle tracking networks pose an unacceptable risk to public privacy
• ▪Withholding federal grants from local police departments that use license plate readers is justified